Monthly Archives: April 2013

Several years ago I heard Gene Simmons on a radio interview make a comment abou the education of his children. The DJ retorted something to the effect of “unless they don’t go to college” and Gen replied “they will go to college and they will graduate.” A seemingly controversial statement for a man who has spent his life breaking the rules.

Similarly, I heard Ozzie Osborne on the radio before his last Ozzfest Show in Dallas TX a few years ago. He encouraged people to come out and have a good time, but then suggested they bring a designated driver because he did not want anyone to have their good memories destroyed on the way home by having an accident.

In an interview with Doug Van Pelt, Megadeth lead guitarist Dave Mustaine reported that the Bible was the only real handbook for how to raise your children.

But most interesting is that Madonna (at least for a time) did not allow her children to watch TV, and she did not keep magazines in her house. Her reason…“TV is trash. I was raised without it”—She confesses. Madonna saw herself as the disciplinarian in her home. She did allow the children to watch movies, but typically only one day a week.

One wonders how someone who had such a strong role in the direction of MTV can herself not allow her kids to watch “trash” but can at the same time be a part of the production of said trash. I am not suggesting that all of Madonna’s songs are trash, neither am I suggesting the same about Kiss, Ozzy, or Megadeth. I am simply raising the questions: How does having children effect the material released by artists? Should artists promote rebellion when they don’t wish for their own kids to rebel?

Can these types of artists really say anything if there kids choose not to respect their authority?

In the Bible, David committed adultery with a woman, tried to cover it up, and when that failed essentially had her husband murdered. As David’s children become older, one son rapes his half-sister and another tries to seize the throne from his father. Absalom, who tries to take the thrown from David actually attempts to kill his father, and David the King does not do much about it in way of discipline. After committing adultery with Bathsheba, David lost the respect of his children and throughout the rest of his life we see his family falling apart. The decisions we make as adults effects the way our children see us.

How will your decisions now effect how your children see and respect you in the future? How have your decisions already affected the way that your children see you?

While David never really recovered from his biggest disaster, there is hope. Brian Head Welch left Korn after he heard his 8 year-old daughter singing their song A.D.I.D.A.S. (All Day I Dream About Sex). He has changed the direction of his music (without sacrificing sound) and has worked to be the father his daughter deserves.

His new band Love and Death also released their first album in January 2013. It is awesome, and I highly recommend it if you like modern rock/nu metal. It is called Between Here & Lost.